A smart card is a plastic card that incorporates an embedded semi-conductor which lets it accept, send and store information and they are used in a variety of applications including mobile telephones, cash-less payment systems and user identification.
Smart cards typically fall into two general categories: contact and contactless. The chip communicates either directly via a physical contact or remotely via a contactless electromagnetic interface. The present invention is concerned with contact smart cards which must be inserted into smart card readers, which incorporate contacts that touch a conductive module on the surface of the card. Data, algorithm and other information are transmitted via the physical contacts.
The value of smart cards lies in their capability to store personal information with a high degree of security and portability. They are therefore ideal medium for the storage of private passwords, account numbers and other forms of personal data. In mobile telephones conforming to the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) recommendations, a smart card is generally referred to as a subscriber identification module (SIM) card. The SIM card holds a subscriber's identity number, security information and memory for a personal directory of telephone numbers. An overview of SIM cards is given in “The GSM System for Mobile Communications” by M. Mouly & M. B. Pautet, Sell & Sys, 1992 (ISBN-9507190-0-7), pp 67-71.
It is desirable to provide a smart card reader module which is reliable in operation and allows for simple insertion and release of a smart card.